With oil and related energy prices having suddenly descended precipitately, the outlook for Asia is going to vary dramatically, and to be built on more than just who is an importer and who an exporter. Certainly, it is beginning to look as though the recent fall in oil and related energy prices is not just a blip, with prices in the US$50-70 a barrel range, or less, possibly with us for a long time, with the main reason having less to do with weaker demand from China and more with supply as shale production in the US continues to ramp up.